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May 01, 2023

Complaints against former Granite Shoals mayor finally settled

Former Granite Shoals Mayor Aaron Garcia, a sergeant with

Former Granite Shoals Mayor Aaron Garcia, a sergeant with the Marble Falls Police Department, addressed the city charter complaints filed against him during a regular City Council meeting on April 11. He had consistently denied any intentional wrongdoing and stated his belief that the complaints were personal attacks against him. Staff photo by Dakota Morrissiey

The Granite Shoals City Council dismissed two of three city charter-related complaints against former Mayor Aaron Garcia during a special meeting on Thursday, June 1. The third complaint led to a letter of reprimand.

The council also decided to post an informational packet developed by the investigative subcommittee as well as its findings on the city's website. Garcia told DailyTrib.com he believes that decision is an invasion of his privacy, and he might seek legal action to have the information removed.

"(The council) talk about (the letter of reprimand) being a slap on the wrist, but in my line of work, it's disparaging my name, my credibility, and my character," said Garcia, who is a sergeant with the Marble Falls Police Department.

Mayor Kiel Arnone and City Manager Peggy Smith both expressed a desire to move forward with city business with the resolution of the charter complaints as well as ethics complaints also filed against Garcia.

"It was a tough decision, especially on my part," Arnone told DailyTrib.com after the meeting. "(Garcia) admitted there were mistakes, and we looked at all the evidence that was provided. I’m hoping, after this, we can move forward, get on with city business, and get some positive things going at City Hall."

After spending roughly three hours in executive session at Thursday's special meeting, councilors emerged and discussed the complaints against Garcia, which were originally made by Suzanne Ort, wife of Place 6 Councilor Phil Ort, on March 16. Councilor Ort abstained from the ensuing roll-call vote. The subcommittee charged with investigating Garcia was composed of councilors Steve Hougen, Kevin Flack, and Michael Berg.

In a 5-1 vote, the council dismissed the first complaint against Garcia, an alleged violation of Section 3.07 of the City Charter regarding his involvement in the firing of the city's contracted building inspector, Mike Light. Hougen was the dissenting vote.

The second complaint against Garcia was unanimously dismissed. It centered on an alleged violation of Section 8.01 of the charter regarding the formation of two subcommittees in December 2022.

The third complaint against Garcia resulted in the unanimous issuance of a letter of reprimand, which is a formal letter drafted by the city of Granite Shoals that condemns Garcia's actions. He was accused of violating Section 14.04 of the charter, which covers "wrongful interference," with his handling of the city manager search via executive recruitment firm Strategic Government Resources. The complaint alleged Garcia approved certain steps of the process without consulting with the council or adequate members of city staff.

Garcia has consistently denied any intentional wrongdoing throughout the investigations but has also acknowledged jumping the gun in his negotiations with SGR.

"This is all about trying to embarrass me and discredit me," he told DailyTrib.com. "I had already admitted to mistakes several times and said that I had rushed things."

Garcia claims certain council members were personally offended by his actions and that Suzanne Ort was potentially trying to disparage him due to the fact he arrested her husband on criminal mischief charges in 2021. Garcia was not on the City Council at the time of the arrest.

Hougen, who had confronted Garcia about his handling of the SGR negotiations before the complaints were filed, told DailyTrib.com the investigation's results revealed an opportunity for change.

"(The results were) a compromise, but the idea is to seek improvement opportunities," he said. "Our goal is to make the city proud."

Smith offered her thoughts as she descended the stairs in front of City Hall after the meeting.

"The biggest thing now is that we want to put this squabble behind us and move forward and get on with doing the things that this city needs to do," she said.

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I am saddened that the council voted to give a letter of reprimand to a man that I know to be an honorable man of integrity. I believe that time for a resolution and determination had already expired and the only way to lay a black mark on him was this letter of reprimand, after the fact and after he passed the baton to Mayor Arnone. Pray for our new Mayor.

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